Jean-Louis Gouraud

Overview

Jean-Louis Gouraud is a French journalist, editor and writer known as a specialist in the history and culture of the horse (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). He began his journalism career at Jeune Afrique in 1968 (World Horse Library), rode from Paris to Moscow on horseback in 1990, built three horse-book collections as an editor, and wrote Karabakh Horses, presented at UNESCO headquarters (AzerNews).

Gouraud was born in Paris, where he discovered horse riding at the age of ten in a riding school in Neuilly (World Horse Library). After starting at Jeune Afrique in 1968, he travelled and worked across Africa and beyond, including for managers from Tunis to Dakar, via Tripoli, Moscow and Tataouine (World Horse Library). In the 1970s he launched magazines, book collections and radio stations in French-speaking Africa, and since 2010 he has been a collaborator for La Revue, a monthly French geopolitical magazine (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). As an editor he produced a large body of horse-related books — put at around one hundred works in twenty years by one profile and at almost two hundred titles overall by another — and he later gave his own working library to the media library at Deauville (World Horse Library).

Journalism and publishing

Gouraud started his journalistic career as editor-in-chief of Jeune Afrique, a specialist weekly news magazine, and the World Horse Library dates his start at the magazine to 1968 (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014; World Horse Library). In the 1970s he launched several magazines, book collections and radio stations in French-speaking Africa, work that grew out of years spent travelling the continent and advising managers from Tunis to Dakar (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). Since 2010 he has contributed to La Revue, a monthly French geopolitical magazine (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). His editorial work centred on the horse: he created three collections devoted to the subject — Caracole, Cheval chevaux and Arts équestres — and, as an editor, produced around a hundred horse-related works in twenty years, a total the World Horse Library later put at almost two hundred titles (World Horse Library).

Paris to Moscow on horseback

In 1990 Gouraud left Paris with two horses and rode to Moscow, covering 3,333 kilometres in 75 days (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). The organisers of the 2014 World Equestrian Games describe him as the first Westerner authorised to ride into the Soviet Union, and the World Horse Library describes the journey as a Paris–Moscow trip made “à la Turcomane”, in relay with two horses (World Horse Library). That works out at roughly 44 kilometres a day. He later turned the ride into Le Pérégrin émerveillé, published by Actes Sud in 2012, which won the Prix Renaudot in its paperback form in 2013, according to the Games organisers (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). One World Horse Library profile instead gives 2006 for that prize, a discrepancy this profile flags rather than resolves (World Horse Library). The ride remains the best-known single episode of his life as a travelling writer.

Books, bibliography and the Deauville donation

Beyond his own books, Gouraud wrote Serko, adapted for the cinema by Joël Farges, and Riboy, which Bartabas used as inspiration for his film Chamane, while Chevaux paired his text with photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). The World Horse Library credits him with almost two hundred titles published as editor, of which about twenty were written by his own hand (World Horse Library). In spring 2018 he published his Bibliographie Équestre, a bibliography of that contribution, and donated his collection of books and documents to the media library at Deauville (World Horse Library). He estimated the collection at several thousand books, perhaps two or three thousand, covering the relationship between people and horses across history and the world (World Horse Library). He said he kept only copies of books he had written or edited himself (World Horse Library).

Karabakh Horses and chovgan

At UNESCO headquarters, an exhibition on the Azerbaijani national game of chovgan was accompanied by a presentation of Gouraud’s book Karabakh Horses (AzerNews). Chovgan is a local form of polo in which teams of five try to hammer a leather or wooden ball into a goal, accompanied by local folk music known as Janghi (AzerNews). Gouraud said Azerbaijan’s success in having chovgan included in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding was motivated by an imperious need to safeguard it, and he noted that the Azerbaijani Government attached much importance to protecting Karabakh horses (AzerNews). The report describes two teams of five to six players, with no goalkeeper, playing thirty minutes in two fifteen-minute halves, with strikes made only with a special club (AzerNews). The presentation placed his writing within Azerbaijan’s campaign to protect both the game and the breed.

Year	Milestone
1968	Begins work at Jeune Afrique
1990	Rides from Paris to Moscow, 3,333 km in 75 days
2013	Le Pérégrin émerveillé wins the Prix Renaudot in paperback form
2014	Ambassador for the FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy; writes 80 stories
2018	Publishes Bibliographie Équestre; donates his collection to Deauville

Frequently asked questions

Who is Jean-Louis Gouraud? Jean-Louis Gouraud is a French journalist, editor and writer who specialises in the history and culture of the horse (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). He began at Jeune Afrique in 1968, later edited almost two hundred horse-related titles, rode from Paris to Moscow in 1990, and wrote Karabakh Horses (World Horse Library; AzerNews).

What was the Paris–Moscow ride? In 1990 Gouraud left Paris with two horses and rode 3,333 kilometres to Moscow in 75 days, described as the first Westerner authorised to ride into the Soviet Union (FEI World Equestrian Games 2014). He later recounted the journey in Le Pérégrin émerveillé, published by Actes Sud in 2012 (World Horse Library).

What is Karabakh Horses? Karabakh Horses is Gouraud’s book on the Karabakh horse, presented at UNESCO headquarters alongside an exhibition on chovgan, the Azerbaijani horse-riding game (AzerNews). At the presentation Gouraud stressed safeguarding chovgan and said Azerbaijan’s government attached much importance to protecting Karabakh horses.

What did he donate to Deauville? In 2018 Gouraud donated his collection of books and documents on the horse to the media library at Deauville, a town with two racetracks, a riding centre and famous horse sales (World Horse Library). He estimated the collection at several thousand books, perhaps two or three thousand, and kept only copies of books he had written or edited.

What this profile does not claim

• It does not give an exact birth date: no fully-read independent source in this pass supplied one, so the profile states only that he was born in Paris.
• It does not settle the Prix Renaudot year: the Games organisers give 2013, one World Horse Library profile gives 2006, and the profile reports the disagreement openly.
• It does not reconcile the two output totals (around one hundred works in twenty years versus almost two hundred titles); both are reported as attributed estimates from different sources.
• It does not give a publisher or publication year for Karabakh Horses, which the fully-read source did not supply.
• It does not attempt a full bibliography, and it makes no claim about Gouraud’s private or family life.
• It does not repeat a claim found only in search snippets (that he was presented in Syria as a grandson of General Henri Gouraud); that claim was not verified from a source read in full and is left out entirely.